


SouHaru week 2015

by popnographic



Category: Free!
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Fluff, M/M, SouHaru Week, souharuweek2015
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-01
Updated: 2015-12-07
Packaged: 2018-05-01 02:31:46
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 4,689
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5188799
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/popnographic/pseuds/popnographic
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>My entries for <a href="http://souharuweek2015.tumblr.com">SouHaru week 2015</a>.</p><p><b>Day 1: Firsts</b> (rated G)<br/><b>Day 2: Numbers</b> (rated G)<br/><b>Day 3: Family</b> (rated G)<br/><b>Day 4: Domestic</b> (rated G)<br/><b>Day 5: Hurt/comfort</b> (rated G)<br/><b>Day 6: Future</b> (rated G)<br/><b>Day 7: Competition</b> (rated E)<br/><b>Day 8: Free</b> (rated G)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. DAY 1: Firsts

**Author's Note:**

> [radiodread](http://radiodread.tumblr.com) @ tumblr.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Haruka hosts a film night at his place, having to spend the evening sitting next to Sousuke. Not that he minds, of course.

“Hey, that’s my spot!”

“You left it, so now it’s mine.”

Rin sticks his tongue out at Sousuke, who snickers at him in response. Instead, Makoto offers him a spot in his lap, which he’s more than glad to take. Of course. Haruka rolls his eyes at the entire situation from where he sits on the other side of Sousuke.

The film has just about begun, and Haruka just knows beforehand that he won’t watch too much of it. Judging by Sousuke’s reaction to the film Makoto and Rin had picked out, it seems like he won’t be too interested in it, either. Haruka swears to bring his own film for their next meet, and makes a mental note to bring one of his sea life documentaries.

As expected, he keeps his eyes on the screen during the film, but he isn’t necessarily watching. Makoto and Rin keep whispering things to each other, and Sousuke and Haruka occasionally share tired looks. While he loves both Makoto and Rin to death, Haruka doesn’t always enjoy spending time with the both of them in the same room.

He absent-mindedly reaches for the popcorn bowl, and when he feels a hand there instead of the popcorn, he instantly retracts his own and looks up. Sousuke looks at him for half a second before looking to the screen again.

“Sorry. Go ahead,” he murmurs. Haruka hesitates for a second, but then grabs a handful of popcorn for himself, and then Sousuke places the bowl closer to the lovebirds.

Ten minutes later, the same thing happens again, only it’s the other way around, and Sousuke ends up being the one accidentally brushing his hand against Haruka’s. Their gazes linger on each other for just a little bit longer that time, but Haruka doesn’t think too much of it.

Accidental touches soon become deliberate, at least what it feels like to Haruka. He doesn’t really mind it, strangely enough, and soon ends up returning the gesture. He kind of likes the whole ‘no one else knows’ aspect of the whole thing he and Sousuke have going on, even if it _is_ just fingers brushing over the top of the other’s hand every now and then. Of course, Makoto and Rin probably wouldn’t even notice if he were to straddle Sousuke right then and there to make out with him, but that’s not really something he wants to do.

… but the thought _is_ kind of tempting, he has to admit.

During an especially cheesy scene with the two main characters finally kissing after having tiptoed around the issue for what feels like far too long, Haruka glances to his side, and to his surprise sees Sousuke looking back at him, while Makoto and Rin’s eyes are practically glued to the screen, the popcorn bowl almost empty between them.

Sousuke’s fingers brush over his again, and Haruka wonders if it’s the general mood of the film that has them doing this… _thing_ , whatever it is, or if it’s something else. Not that he’s complaining, of course—but it sure feels a little strange, considering both of them are absolutely terrible with handling people and communicating in general.

The film _finally_ ends, and everyone gets off the couch to stretch their upper bodies a bit, having sat down for far too long. Haruka begins cleaning up after them; empty soda cans, an empty crisp bag, and of course the popcorn bowl that for the majority of the film had been in Makoto’s and Rin’s possession.

Said couple begin heading towards the hallway, thanking Haruka for hosting the evening and promising they should all do this very soon again. Haruka hopes it’ll be at least another week in between if they’re to have it at his place, which seems likely.

“Sousuke, you coming?”

Haruka’s in the kitchenette when he hears Rin calling out to Sousuke, who must still be in the living room. He washes his hands, and returns out. Sousuke clears his throat, and shakes his head.

“I’ll… stay behind and help clean up. Since no one else really offered, and I wanna prove I’m a good guest.”

Haruka wants to tell Sousuke he doesn’t doubt he is, but he sort of takes the hint. Rin flips Sousuke off, and Makoto just looks confused. It’s a good thing he doesn’t pick up on it, because Haruka’s pretty sure Makoto would bombard him with questions later if he did. Well, he might _still_ do, but Haruka would be able to easier get himself out of it.

Makoto and Rin leave, and Haruka closes the door behind him. Sousuke’s _still_ standing about in the living room when he turns around, and he looks like a child who’s gotten separated from his parents in a gigantic shopping mall. Haruka almost wants to laugh, but resists the urge.

“I wanted to… talk,” Sousuke finally says.

“I figured.”

“You know those… things were on purpose, right?”

Haruka smiles a little, walking closer. “Yeah. And same here.”

Sousuke walks the entire distance in between them, and sweeps Haruka into his arms faster than Haruka can blink, and then he releases a sigh, returning the embrace. He buries his face into the fabric of Sousuke’s hoodie, taking in his scent and closing his eyes. Sousuke tightens his hug, and Haruka doesn’t want to let go.

But then Sousuke does, only to cup Haruka’s cheeks between his hands, and tilt his head up while he bends down a little. The height difference between them isn’t _too_ great, but it does warrant a little bit of effort on Sousuke’s part other than to just tilt his head down a little. Haruka helps by standing on his toes; lets their noses brush together and wonders if Sousuke can hear his heartbeat, because it’s pretty much all he can hear himself.

Sousuke takes the initiative to softly press his lips against Haruka’s. It’s a little clumsy at first since he has trouble angling his head so that they don’t bump their noses into each other, and Haruka finds it strangely endearing, and smiles against Sousuke’s lips as he kisses him back.

“I thought you wanted to talk,” Haruka whispers when their lips separate, and he’s still smiling. Sousuke laughs through his nose.

“Let’s face it; both of us are shit at talking.”

“Yeah, I guess.”

 

* * *

 

Sousuke ends up spending the night, Haruka’s excuse being that “it’s pretty late, and walking home right now would probably be dangerous”. Sousuke tells Haruka not to underestimate him, but he doesn’t protest.


	2. DAY 2 - Numbers

Walking up the steps to his house, Haruka counts. Seventeen, eighteen, nineteen. He always lands on the same number, but it feels like a good luck charm to have that confirmation. That nothing changes no matter how many times he climbs these stairs; things stay the same no matter what day it is, or how much time has passed.

He counts twenty-two, as always, and then walks up to their door, to his and Sousuke’s house.

 

Haruka turns around in bed with a frown and Sousuke’s harsh words echoing in his head. He rarely cries, but he does get upset. And he knows, that Sousuke knows this. And Sousuke is never one to hold a grudge; he finds it meaningless, and he dislikes dwelling on things. So Haruka counts the seconds. Fifteen, sixteen, seventeen.

The silence between them is unbearable, but Haruka remains stubborn. They don’t fight or argue often, and Haruka likes to think that it’s because of how similarly they think about most things. _Most_ things. Obviously, there are still some instances where they’re just not on the same page, and maybe they’ll never be.

Twenty-six, twenty-seven, twenty-eight.

Of course, the question is if they’re willing to just accept that, and focus on the things they actually have in common rather than the opposite—or if they want to stay like this. Stay in the now which will soon become the past, not looking forward, towards the future.

Forty-seven, forty-eight, forty-nine. He feels two arms embrace him from behind, and Haruka stops counting.

“’m sorry,” Sousuke mumbles, and Haruka forgives within a heartbeat, smiling to himself. There’s no use in dwelling on something they’ll both laugh at for having argued about the coming day, so he chooses to let it go.

 

They’re sitting out on the porch feeding the cats. Three bothered to stop by today, yesterday they’d been four.

“You know,” Sousuke says, scratching a light-grey cat behind its ear, “I think Tachibana’s pretty jealous. Seeing as the cats apparently like me more than him now.”

Haruka snorts. “Well, it’s to be expected, since you parked your ass in my house.”

“Hey, you offered.”

“You didn’t have to say yes.”

One of the cats leaves, and now there’s two left. They always leave as soon as they’ve been fed, as he has nothing left to offer them. One day, he wonders if Sousuke will do the same. Once he has nothing left to offer Sousuke, if he’ll just leave, and go search for someone who can offer him what he wants and needs.

He realises the next morning as he gets out of bed and finds Sousuke cooking them breakfast in the kitchen, that Sousuke is very much like a cat. But maybe not in the sense he’d thought from the beginning, no—Sousuke’s a cat who’s settled down. A cat who’s too stubborn to leave just like that.

And so when he only finds one cat coming to eat from his bowl that afternoon, he doesn’t feel too discouraged.


	3. DAY 3 - Family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sousuke wonders if maybe his definition of family is outdated.

They don’t come to see him off during his first day having arrived at Samezuka. Sousuke shrugs it off and tells himself he’ll be okay regardless. He’s here to finally swim with Rin again, even if it _does_ end up costing him his shoulder. If it does, at least he knows he will have done this with no regrets. It will be worth it.

They don’t come to see Sousuke and his team make it to nationals. Sousuke tries to tell himself he’s too busy celebrating with his team, that he doesn’t have time to think about them amidst what’s supposed to be a happy time. Nationals is a big thing, obviously only the best make it so far. But why does he still not feel fulfilled?

They don’t come to see him graduate. Sousuke’s given up by now, knows that they don’t care, that they probably won’t even show up at his funeral, with the way things have been for god knows how long. Maybe he should consider himself lucky if they _do_ show up, but it isn’t as if he’d be able to actually see it happen.

Is this what family’s like? Is the definition of family ‘people who are tied to you by blood but still don’t ever give a flying fuck about you’? Is this what it’s supposed to feel like, to be someone’s son?

It isn’t until the fourteenth of September the year he turns twenty-two that he understands. He’s in an apartment—his and Haruka’s apartment, to be more exact—and his boyfriend and closest friends have surprised him for his birthday with dinner and a plethora of gifts. It isn’t until Haruka’s in his arms, as they’re sitting amongst their friends; talking, having fun, enjoying their time together—it isn’t until then, that Sousuke understands.

 _This_ is what family’s like.


	4. DAY 4 - Domestic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> SouHaru are gross. Yes, that's the summary of this.

He’s still getting dressed when he hears his phone ring downstairs. Haruka calls for Sousuke, but doesn’t hear a response and figures he must either be out on the porch or in the bathroom. So he hurries out and down the stairs and _once again_ trips over Sousuke’s slippers parked right in front of the last step. He curses under his breath as he goes to answer his phone.

Haruka’s phone call doesn’t last very long—it was just Makoto wondering if he and Sousuke would join them for dinner, to which he said yes—and he goes out onto the porch where he indeed finds Sousuke, petting one of the stray cats. He clears his throat, and Sousuke turns his head.

“Oh, hey,” he greets, and Haruka frowns at him.

“Your slippers. I nearly tripped over them again.”

Sousuke raises his eyebrows as if he _forgot_ he’d put his slippers in that same spot _again_ despite Haruka having told him countless times to put them near the wall instead to prevent people from tripping over them. Well, people being Haruka.

“Shit,” Sousuke says, “I forgot.”

“Again.”

Sousuke puts his hands up in a surrendering gesture, and the cat he’d just been petting comes up to stroke up against Haruka’s legs. “I’m sorry, okay? Old habits die hard. Well, okay, so maybe I don’t _have_ habits regarding slippers. I’m trying to get better. But you’re not that much better than me, you know.”

Haruka crosses his arms over his chest. “How’s so?”

“Do I have to remind you of your ridiculously long bath times in the _morning_? When people have to go to work? It’s a wonder that door still stands with how often I’ve had to slam my fist into it to wake you out of your daydreaming.”

“I’m not daydreaming, I’m just enjoying my bath,” Haruka counters stubbornly. Sousuke snorts.

“Well, either way we’ve both got shit to work on. I’m not the only bad guy here.”

“Oh, you’re bad alright,” Haruka replies as he turns around to walk inside. He doesn’t even make it three steps away before he feels two arms wrap around his middle, and Sousuke trailing kisses down his neck.

“Bad in what way?” he murmurs, and Haruka shivers. Sousuke’s voice will _always_ have this weird effect on him where it just makes him melt, no matter how hard he tries to fight it. He sighs, and tries to shake Sousuke off but to no avail.

“I should kick you out.”

“I’d love to see you try.”

It’s just empty threats, of course, and Sousuke knows it, too, which is the worst part. Throwing Sousuke out is first of all too much effort, and having him around means many good things, like having someone for Haruka to put his cold feet up against during winter, and someone who can take down things from shelves too far up for him to reach himself.

So Sousuke gets to stay. For now.


	5. DAY 5 - Hurt/comfort

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Until next time, and the next, and forever.

Haruka doesn't cry. Sousuke's probably only seen it once before, but it was so long ago that he wonders if maybe he hadn't just dreamt it. Had he not known the reason behind Haruka's tears right now, Sousuke would most  _definitely_ be panicking, and probably calling Makoto right about now to ask him what to do. Sousuke has a history of not being too great at comforting people, but this time around, he knows the reason, and he's determined on at least being there for Haruka. He knows that might just be enough for his boyfriend right now.

Frowning, Haruka wipes away his tears, but more keep falling, and he sniffles. It hurts Sousuke to see him like this, to see Haruka look like he's blaming himself for his tears. Like he feels like it isn't  _normal_ or even  _acceptable_ for him to cry. Sousuke sighs, and takes Haruka into his arms, not feeling the need to say anything. Thankfully, Haruka doesn't protest, and he just leans into Sousuke's embrace.

"I don't want to let them get to me like that, but I always do," Haruka begins. Sousuke stays silent, because he knows that all Haruka probably needs right now is to just vent his feelings, which in and of itself is rare. Sometimes, it takes Haruka a while to put his thoughts into words, so Sousuke lets him take all the time he needs.

To their surprise, Haruka's parents had decided to drop by unannounced, but at least they'd brought dinner to lessen the burden on Haruka, whom Sousuke knows would otherwise probably go into the kitchen and try to make something quickly but also up to the standard he knows his parents have.

Haruka's parents dropping by might not seem like a big deal to many, but Sousuke's heard enough about them not only from Haruka, but from both Makoto and Rin as well, to form an opinion of them that is anything but positive. This seems to just be another one of the things they have in common; parents who aren't supportive, and are barely even around as is. People like them shouldn't have the right to call themselves parents, in Sousuke's opinion, because that would require them to  _act_ like parents.

"They're never even  _here_ , yet whenever they are, I just want them to leave."

"I know," Sousuke replies. He lets his fingers slowly run through Haruka's hair in an attempt to calm him down, and Haruka eventually relaxes his shoulders with a long, slightly trembling sigh. If one were to try and see the positive in all this, this is the first time Sousuke's ever met Haruka's parents, and they've been dating for well over two years by now. Haruka's parents don't drop by often, and while most people would frown at that and say it's a shame, Sousuke knows Haruka more finds that a relief than anything. Sousuke would know, because he'd probably feel the same way if he ever  _did_ see or even hear from his parents, which he hasn't done in several years.

"Sousuke?"

"Mmm?" he mumbles. Haruka shifts a little in his arms, but doesn't wriggle free.

"Thanks."

Sousuke smiles a little to himself, kisses Haruka on top of his head. He heaves a quiet sigh, feeling a little lighter, somehow. "Sure."

This might happen again, or it might not. Sousuke knows that the knowledge—or lack thereof—that Haruka's parents might drop by at any time is something Haruka thinks about more than he means to. But Sousuke hopes that him being around might help, if even just a little bit, and that he at least won't feel lonely and abandoned once they leave again, only to be gone once more for who knows how long.

But no matter how long it may take, no matter how many times they have to go through this, Sousuke's there. And he hopes Haruka knows he is, too.


	6. DAY 6 - Future

He remembers the evenings he spent constantly glancing over at his phone hoping for a text he knew would never come. He remembers looking up at the house next to his, wondering if Makoto was going to come down to meet him as usual. But it wasn’t going to happen, since Makoto moved to Tokyo in order to pursue his dreams.

Haruka knows that he wasn’t exactly left behind, though sometimes he feels like he was. Not just by Makoto, but by Rin as well. So when Sousuke ended up on his footstep with the strap of his bag swung over his shoulder, Haruka wondered if Sousuke had felt the same. Felt abandoned.

“ _I don’t have anywhere to go_.”

He remembers the words so clearly, as if they were spoken to him just a second ago. It hit him so hard, because that’s exactly the way he felt up until the point Sousuke stood outside his door, and asked for them to start over. And maybe it was the sheer desperation within Haruka that made him barely flinch before he accepted, maybe it was the fact that he was _still_ so dependent on others that made him so easily accept Sousuke into his life.

If he would’ve known earlier that it would be this easy to feel a little less bad about his inexistent dream and lack of two of his best friends around at all times, Haruka would’ve probably approached Sousuke himself, and much sooner. It makes him bitter to think of all the emotional distress and general exhaustion he could’ve saved not only himself, but Sousuke, too.

But Sousuke, of course, tells Haruka to not dwell on their pasts. That they should live in the now, and not think so much either on what used to be, or what _could_ be. Their future may not be written in stone, but that still doesn’t mean the future doesn’t exist for them. It’s a concept Haruka’s never had to get acquainted with before, but also something he doesn’t mind trying to get used to.


	7. DAY 7 - Competition

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "This isn't a competition, unless I'm losing then hell YES this is a competition." (Haruka's and Sousuke's various competitions throughout the years.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Rating has changed to E as of this chapter.**

**eight**.

 

“Nanase, that’s _cheating!_ ”

Haruka doesn’t care; he keeps running, and he’s smiling to himself, listening to the complaining wails of the boy behind him. He stops by the family mart—their finish line—and leans against the wall, heavily panting. Sousuke isn’t too far after, and when he finally stops in front of Haruka, he pouts.

“Unfair,” he grumbles, panting hard. “You’re smaller, so of course you’d win.”

“Or maybe I’m winning because I’m faster,” Haruka suggests, still grinning. “Five to three, Yamazaki.”

“I know, shut _up_ already!”

 

* * *

 

 **fifteen**.

 

Haruka finds the way Sousuke’s gripping onto his controller for dear life strangely endearing. He watches Sousuke in the corner of his eye with a very subtle smile gracing his lips as he returns his attention—or at least most of it—to the TV screen in front of him. He’s currently in a rather big lead, with Sousuke’s character struggling to catch up to sixth place.

“How the hell are you so far ahead of me?!” Sousuke complains, and Haruka shrugs.

“My character is lighter than yours. I also don’t run into banana peels like you do every so often.”

Sousuke huffs. “You’re just getting lucky.”

Haruka rolls his eyes. “Sure.”

When he crosses the finish line still in first place, Sousuke slams a fist down into the couch, yelling out a ‘fuck!’, and then quickly picks his controller up again to at least try and get in fourth place. He doesn’t, and instead gets fifth, at which Haruka can no longer contain the laughter that’s been threatening to spill past his lips for a good two or three minutes by now.

“Fuck you, Nanase,” Sousuke snarls, and Haruka shakes his head.

“That’s two, and we agreed on best out of three. I win.”

Sousuke groans, and Haruka snickers again.

 

* * *

 

 **nineteen**.

 

Haruka’s about to leave, when he turns his head to the side, opening his mouth. “Hey, Yamazaki.”

“Mmm.”

He turns around, and begins walking towards Sousuke again, who’s still sitting on the bench. They’ve been racing in the communal swimming pool, having tied but neither having had the energy to keep going in order to actually settle things.

“Earlier when we were fighting, and I kinda jumped you… remember that?”

Sousuke looks up at him, and Haruka can see that he gets the point, because his pupils shrink in what looks like a mix of fear and suspicion. He knows it’ll change within seconds, so he keeps going.

“Nanase, what are you—“

“It felt good, right?” he asks, straddling Sousuke’s lap. Sousuke immediately begins squirming about, trying to get Haruka off of him, but Haruka won’t budge. He puts his hands on Sousuke’s shoulders, but lets them wander up for his fingers to twist lightly in Sousuke’s hair instead. Sousuke looks like he's trying  _not_ to react, and Haruka finds it cute that he does anyway, despite his struggles.

He thrusts his hips forward slowly, rubbing his half-hard erection against Sousuke’s crotch, and he bites back a smile at how quickly Sousuke’s own erection grows against his. There’s a great advantage to them only wearing tracksuit trousers and underwear, since the material isn’t thick, and allows for them to feel more this way.

“Ah… _fuck_ ,” Sousuke hisses through gritted teeth, and Haruka closes his eyes, letting himself give into it.

“Yeah,” he breathes, “don’t stop.”

Sousuke’s hands find their way to Haruka’s ass, and slightly pull down his trousers, fingers tracing the skin exposed in doing so. Haruka just isn’t _satisfied_ with it; he wants more, and he wants to feel Sousuke’s skin against his as well, and not just what he gets in the occasional kisses he hungrily steals whilst he keeps grinding up against Sousuke.

“Yamazaki… more… more skin,” he almost whimpers, his grip on Sousuke’s hair tightening ever so slightly.

Sousuke obliges, and Haruka helps to pull his trousers down a bit as well. When their erections are finally touching each other without being confined within fabric, Haruka feels sparks like electric course through his body, and he lets out an involuntary whine through his nose. Sousuke speeds up his thrusts, and Haruka tries his best to keep up, but he’s so far gone into chasing his orgasm that he isn’t doing a very good job at it.

Pulling him close, Sousuke presses his forehead against Haruka’s shoulder, and breathes heavily. Haruka knows he’s close now, and then it doesn’t take very long before they both reach climax, only seconds apart. Sousuke sits up straight again, and Haruka automatically leans in to bump their foreheads together. Sousuke kisses him; softly, slowly, and Haruka instantly melts into it, and when he pulls back, he smiles.

“I came first,” he says, “so that means I win.”

Sousuke stares at him incredulously, and then snorts out a laugh. “Idiot, that’s not how it works.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The last part was heavily inspired by [this](http://reallycorking.tumblr.com/post/132440385304/the-nsfw-sequel-that-literally-no-one-asked-for) fantastic thing (NSFW!) by [reallycorking](http://reallycorking.tumblr.com) on Tumblr. I was originally planning on writing that scene for the same fandom and pairing as was depicted in the art, but then figured, hey—it's a competition (sorta), and that fits the last SH week prompt I have yet to write. So! Here it is.


	8. DAY 8 - Free

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> like a tattoo; etched into his skin, there to stay, to serve as a reminder of what has been, and why they're still here.

People call it taboo despite them living in the twenty-first century, and such things are still frowned upon. That’s probably why Sousuke’s tattoo is hidden underneath clothes during the day, and is only visible to those he really trusts, most of the time Haruka being that one person.

His tattoo is a saying—‘ _nana-korobi-ya-oki_ ’—that means ‘fall seven times, but get up eight’. It’s almost scary how well that fits him, how well it describes all the times Sousuke has fallen to his knees, scraped them, maybe even to the point of drawing blood at times, but he’s always gotten up at some point. Sometimes it’s been thanks to others stretching out a helping hand, but most of the time it’s been because he got up by himself.

Sousuke is a strong, independent person, and while Haruka is amazed by it and admires him for it, it scares him just as much. Because if Sousuke can get up more times than he falls, and if he can do perfectly fine on his own—that’s got to mean he doesn’t really _need_ Haruka, right? And no matter how much Haruka tries to tell both himself and others that he doesn’t need others by himself to be able to stand, he isn’t so sure about it. His first fight with Makoto in high school proved that well enough for him to not want it to happen.

Haruka’s fingers trace the outline of Sousuke’s tattoo on his right shoulder blade; the shoulder that has through so many years giving him so much trouble and shattered his one big dream. A shoulder that is now decorated with a saying that has stuck with him for a long time for seemingly no reason, but has finally gotten its use, and finally _means_ something to him.

Sousuke’s long since asleep, and Haruka doesn’t want to wake him, so he keeps his touch light and slow to prevent doing so. It’s just another one of those nights where he finds himself unable to sleep, and he tries to pass time by admiring the tattoo, the inspirational saying, etched into Sousuke’s skin for as long as he shall live. It reflects upon how, once Sousuke dedicates himself to something, he’s in it for life.

And since he’s been with Haruka for so many years without their love for each other faltering even a little bit, and Sousuke never even once hinting at leaving his side, then maybe Haruka falls into that category, too. Maybe he’s etched himself a place onto Sousuke’s skin somewhere, too, much like the tattoo on his right shoulder blade. Maybe he’s made an impression as strong on Sousuke, as the one Sousuke had made on him all those years ago.

Haruka falls asleep after a little over an hour, his fingers still touching Sousuke’s shoulder. One day, he aims to be as independent as Sousuke, so that the two of them can be independent together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A huge thanks to everyone who participated in this year's SouHaru week! The massive amount of entries, whether it'd be in drawn or written form, has been SO amazing to see, and it's been really cool to see the tags on both Tumblr and AO3 explode with SouHaru content. This was a fun week, and I'm glad and honoured to have been one of the people to organise and run this event alongside [iskabee](http://iskabee.tumblr.com) & [hopenobodyeverfindsthis](http://hopenobodyeverfindsthis.tumblr.com). ❤
> 
> .............. right, I'm gonna stop being a sap. See y'all around the interwebs!
> 
> — [popnographic](http://popnographic.tk) @ tumblr


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